If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

As long as you are in the business of throwing injured Steeler legends to the curb when the team is successful with them on the sideline, should the Steelers have gotten rid of Terry Bradshow when the team went on a 6-0 roll in 1976 with Mike Kruczek when Bradshaw was hurt? That's about how silly a "F Troy. We are on a roll without him" sentiment sounds to me. You seriously prefer Will Allen to Troy Polamalu...seriously?

Your analogy is wet poop. Was Bradshaw constantly hurt and when he was did his unit get depressed and let down? Troy can't stay healthy, and up until now, the D gets all depressed when they see China doll limp off the field, according to Ryan Clark. Now they finally figured out how to perform well without him. If he comes back and INEVITABLY limps off the field again, they risk falling back into a depression again instead of playing as THE NUMBER ONE DEFENSE IN THE ENTIRE NFL. F Troy. I will say it again: F TROY. He can't stay healthy thus he is a detriment to the team. It's about the team, not one person. I have NEVER IN MY LIFE seen a "calf injury" last this long, or any where close to it. Calf injuries usually last a few weeks, not OVER A FREAKING YEAR.

I agree. Troy's end will come soon enough of it's own accord. We don't need to hasten it if we can get a few more miles out him. I say use him up as long as we can. We can't afford to do it however at his current salary.

Troy can't stay healthy, and up until now, the D gets all depressed when they see China doll limp off the field, according to Ryan Clark. Now they finally figured out how to perform well without him. If he comes back and INEVITABLY limps off the field again, they risk falling back into a depression again instead of playing as THE NUMBER ONE DEFENSE IN THE ENTIRE NFL. F Troy. I will say it again: F TROY. He can't stay healthy thus he is a detriment to the team. It's about the team, not one person. I have NEVER IN MY LIFE seen a "calf injury" last this long, or any where close to it. Calf injuries usually last a few weeks, not OVER A FREAKING YEAR.

Troy's the best player we have on our defense...when we lose him, the rest of the defense is "depressed" because the just lost the best playmaker on D.

To draw another parallel, Ben's the best player on our offense...when we lose him, the rest of the offense would be similarly "depressed" because the just lost the best playmaker on O.

Seems to me that Ben gets injured multiple times every year. A thumb here, a toe there, a hyperextended knee...you name the body part, and Ben's probably injured it at some point. Ben's only played in all 16 games one time in 8 seasons, while Troy has played in all 16 games 5 times in 9 seasons. We won 3 out of the last 4 games without Troy...when Ben was suspended, we also won 3 of the last 4 games without him. Should we just say " F Ben. He can't stay healthy thus he is a detriment to the team." Of course, not...that's ridiculous. As ridiculous as a Steeler fan saying "F Troy."

NFL player locker room talk: Discussing what can be done about racial inequality and criminal justice reform.

According to the highest office in the country, some "very fine people" marched with torches in a violent protest in Charlottesville, but participating in a non-violent protest on a football field means you are an S.O.B. who should be fired.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Will Allen knows he's not Troy Polamalu. He also knows the Pittsburgh Steelers don't need him to be for the defense to play with its typical cruel efficiency.

The checklist for Allen on a given week never changes: Run to the ball. Don't get beat deep. Go where you're supposed to. When appropriate, hit somebody.

Allen has no delusions about what will happen whenever Polamalu's right calf finally heals. He'll go back to the bench and watch one of the best safeties of his generation go to work.

Until then - and Polamalu has already been ruled out for Monday night's home game against Kansas City - Allen will do his best to be Polamalu-lite.

Very lite.

"I'm just doing my job,'' Allen said Wednesday. "I just want to be on my Ps and Qs and I want to be effective and have urgency. When I'm reading my keys and I'm helping this team, that's the main thing that I care about.''

The Steelers turned to Ryan Mundy to fill in when Polamalu initially hurt his calf in the season opener against Denver. Mundy, however, struggled in pass coverage and earned a couple of costly penalties at crucial times, most notably an unnecessary roughness penalty against Oakland that send wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey to the hospital.

Polamalu returned against Philadelphia on Oct. 7, though his comeback lasted all of a quarter before he reinjured the calf, this time more seriously than the first. He hasn't stepped on the field since, though the secondary hasn't missed a beat.

Pittsburgh (5-3) leads the NFL in pass defense at the midway point, allowing 174 yards per game. That number is dropping every week and took a big plunge when Allen and company shut down Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl-champion New York Giants last week in a season-turning 24-20 victory.

Manning completed 10 of 25 passes for 125 yards and an interception as the Steelers frustrated one of the league's most dynamic passing attacks.

Then again, it's becoming a habit.

Pittsburgh has beaten Andy Dalton, Robert Griffin III and Manning during its three-game winning streak, three very different quarterbacks with three very different ways of going about their business.

None of them were successful against a defense that has rediscovered its bite even without Polamalu and his flowing locks freelancing all over the field. The only place where the Steelers have really missed Polamalu is in splash plays.

There are few - if any - better than Polamalu when it comes to instinctively creating turnovers. With the four-time All-Pro standing on the sideline for the last month in grey sweats, Pittsburgh has taken the ball away just three times.

The Steelers hope those numbers will pick up against the woeful Chiefs (1-7), whose minus-21 turnover differential is by far the NFL's worst. Pittsburgh just doesn't need to get its hands on the ball to survive, though. The defense is just fine sending the opposition trudging off the field to punt, something happening with increasing regularity.

Pittsburgh is allowing teams to convert just 30 percent (11 of 37) of third down opportunities during its winning streak thanks to better execution on first and second down, and a sudden burst of chemistry in the secondary.

"We're starting to put the pieces together for where we need to be,'' cornerback Keenan Lewis said. "The (defensive) line, they're getting to the quarterback much faster. The linebackers are playing out of control. It's helping us out in the back end.''

Then again, Lewis and fellow corner Ike Taylor are doing their part. Victimized early in the season - particularly in road losses to Oakland and Tennessee - the duo have shut down the likes of A.J. Green and Victor Cruz in recent weeks.

Lewis sent a message on the first play against New York, swatting down a deep ball from Manning to Hakeem Nicks. It was Lewis' way of saying he wasn't going to be intimidated by the surroundings or the circumstances.

"I just wanted to let `em know that they can't catch us off guard,'' Lewis said.

The Giants never did. Taylor collected his first interception of the year late in the first quarter with a spectacular diving grab. It was a difficult catch, one that allowed him to laugh about the easy one that clanged off his chest in the end zone later in the game.

Taylor knows he can afford to joke about it when the Steelers win but he's only too aware the drop extended a New York drive the Giants eventually scored on.

"Is it something we can work on? Yes,'' Taylor said. "Does it help your team out? Yes, because it gives the offense more opportunities to make plays.''

Just don't expect the defense to take any unnecessary chances to make them happen. That's what Polamalu does. Until his familiar No. 43 is back in the lineup, Allen and the rest of his buddies are fine just sticking to the fundamentals.

Besides, in a way, Allen notes the only difference between a punt and a turnover is who gets to run around with the ball.

"The more and more we play together, the better we're getting,'' Allen said. "We've just got to continue executing and having a sense of urgency and attention to detail and playing fast and playing hard and I think that'll take us a long way.''
---NOTES: The Steelers signed WR Derek Moye and put him on the practice squad while cutting TE Jamie McCoy from the practice squad. ... Pittsburgh is 3-0 at home.

I say as long as we are winning without Troy then allow Troy to sit the bench to heal even further. The guy is older and needs the time to not only heal but to regenerate. Why not make sure he is 110% recoverd instead of like last time. The longer he sits the better chacne we have him for the pllayoff portion of the season. I could understand if ALlen was as ba as Mundy but, that is not the case.

As for Gilbert, he can collect pine until the cows come home. Adams seems to do well enough or just as well and he doesn't seem to get hurt as much like Gilbert. If DeCastro got the okay to start I would have him collecting pine too at ths time but, with some spot playing to allow him to get the game time speed and practice in. In other words, if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do want Mendenhall to be the starter because I still believe he has more to offer. Now, if Mendenhall shows he can't move the chains then, set his butt down and bring in Dwyer.

I still don't understand how REDMAN is not the clear starter for this game. WTF!

Because the only reason Redman started the last game was because Dwyer was injured. Remember, Dwyer had two consecutive 100 yard games and he was the player who lit a fire under the offense. Both players will play and that will be good because we can pound our opponents into submission then blitz them with the passing game.

Haley knows how to balance our attack to exploit the specific weaknesses of a game day opponent. It's a joy to see how he doesn't just throw a template out there no matter who we play and he actually tailors our attack for specific opponents.

I say as long as we are winning without Troy then allow Troy to sit the bench to heal even further. The guy is older and needs the time to not only heal but to regenerate. Why not make sure he is 110% recoverd instead of like last time. The longer he sits the better chacne we have him for the pllayoff portion of the season. I could understand if ALlen was as ba as Mundy but, that is not the case.

As for Gilbert, he can collect pine until the cows come home. Adams seems to do well enough or just as well and he doesn't seem to get hurt as much like Gilbert. If DeCastro got the okay to start I would have him collecting pine too at ths time but, with some spot playing to allow him to get the game time speed and practice in. In other words, if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do want Mendenhall to be the starter because I still believe he has more to offer. Now, if Mendenhall shows he can't move the chains then, set his butt down and bring in Dwyer.

If they aren't going to actually play DeCastro I would put him on season ending IR. No use wasting a roster spot on someone who isn't 100% healthy and won't be playing.

I know Gilbert has become this year's favorite "bashing boy" but he is the same person who started 13 games for us last year, did a solid job and was our Rookie of the Year. I would never discount him as part of the OL equation. Get him through this rough spot he is going through by coaching him up and he will be a future asset.

Because the only reason Redman started the last game was because Dwyer was injured. Remember, Dwyer had two consecutive 100 yard games and he was the player who lit a fire under the offense. Both players will play and that will be good because we can pound our opponents into submission then blitz them with the passing game.

Haley knows how to balance our attack to exploit the specific weaknesses of a game day opponent. It's a joy to see how he doesn't just throw a template out there no matter who we play and he actually tailors our attack for specific opponents.

What the last game showed me is that Redman and Dwyer can produce equally behind an O-Line that is performing better in recent weeks...